A VOLUNTEER search and rescue team is urging would-be winter walkers planning to head into the snow covered northern dales to ensure they are fully prepared before setting off.

The Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team (TWSMRT) says only experienced dale walkers should tackle the current upland conditions, while enthusiasts used to lowland tracks are urged to stay away.

The advice comes in the wake of tragedy in the Scottish Highlands, when four experienced climbers lost their lives in an avalanche that also left a Durham city woman seriously injured.